'We want 'em': Catch a Cobia fish and earn $50 from the FWC

by WEAR staff
Wed, September 6th 2023, 10:23 AM EDT

The FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute is asking the public for help catching Cobia fish. And you can earn $50 doing so.

"Our researchers are looking to work with you to sample the reproductive organs of harvested cobia," the FWC says in a release. "When you donate a harvested cobia, you get a $50 reward and help our researchers collect valuable information by sampling harvested cobia’s reproductive organs to determine if and where they spawn along Florida’s coasts."

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"Fish must be kept whole or filleted carcass with organs intact on ice," the FWC says. "If you catch a tagged cobia, we ask that you do not harvest it. Instead, please support our work by taking a picture of the tag and reporting the following information to the phone number for your region: tag number, fork length, date, and general location of the catch."

This data is being collected as part of FWC's three-year project to better understand the reproductive habits off Florida’s coast.